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Ben-Kasama
This is Ben's illustrated page for all issues related to the Kasama Project.
The Kasama website has become a popular blog for activists who used to be around the RCP,USA and got burned (or burned out) by their experience. The blog has also attracted many activists who had the good sense to never get too close to the RCP. Many or most of the regular contributors to the site have left social-democratic (ie: reformist) politics combined with a revolutionary self-image (ie: similar, in that respect, to the RCP itself). However many readers are dedicated to revolutionary change and the site is an important one that has attracted a fairly wide readership.
Topics on this page:
A comparison: RCP, Kasama and the
mass revolutionary organization we need
The chart below is a work in progress. Comments are welcome.
Challenges for the Kasama community
How can we develop a strong focus (including discussion and debate) on:
Both of these views must be smashed up in order to clear the ground for genuine advancement and to take advantage of the emerging revolution in communications and the potential to use information war as a vehicle for the class struggle.
I have written on these topics and have reached the following conclusions:
(1) The society we need will, above all, be run by the working class. Everyone will have the fundamental democratic rights of speech and organization and the working class will use these rights to organize mass resistance to defeat the incompetence, hypocrisy and corruption (of people or principles) that will inevitably emerge even within a workers' state. The principle of separation of speech and property will be used to restrict the ability of money and commercial interests (which will probably be around for decades) to amplify the voices of reactionaries. In other words, everyone will have the right to speak their views on the basis of voluntary labor (ie: such as leaflets or websites) --but the state will restrict (ie: regulate) the ability of the wealthy to hire armies of flacks to amplify (ie: make slick and broadcast widely) reactionary views. In these conditions many independent organizations would emerge and both publicly compete and cooperate with one another.
(2) The revolutionary mass organization we need will:
(a) be united around:
(i) a program of common work (such as support for popular
.... struggles and the development of a revolutionary news service)
(ii) a common goal (ie: the overthrow of bourgeois rule
.... and the rule of society by the working class)
(b) include political trends which publicly compete and cooperate
(c) be guided by mass democracy and characterized by political transparency
Writing as a somewhat isolated individual (even if with some experience in the revolutionary movement) it is unlikely that all of my ideas are correct. However, I have made a strong effort to focus on the key questions and present solid arguments. I would like to see some discussion of the principles which I advocate. As an individual, I may not be particularly brilliant, but I believe that, by virtue of being in the right place at the right time, I have stumbled onto principles that are far more important and deserving of attention that I am. My theoretical work (see table to the right) is is written for bright and focused 14 year old minds. It is relatively easy to read and avoids most of the jargon, dogma and obscurantism that is common in work on these topics.
What is Kasama?This page is under construction.
Your comments and criticisms will help me improve it.
(Please see the "threads" section at the bottom of this page)
The Kasama website has become a popular blog for activists who used to be around the RCP,USA and got burned (or burned out) by their experience. The blog has also attracted many activists who had the good sense to never get too close to the RCP. Many or most of the regular contributors to the site have left social-democratic (ie: reformist) politics combined with a revolutionary self-image (ie: similar, in that respect, to the RCP itself). However many readers are dedicated to revolutionary change and the site is an important one that has attracted a fairly wide readership.
Topics on this page:
- A comparison: RCP, Kasama and the mass revolutionary organization we need
- Challenges for the Kasama community
- Possible next steps forward for Kasama
- My disagreements with the Kasama leadership
- Reformism and Kasama
- Ben's Posts on Kasama
- Scroll down to the bottom of this page and click "post a new thread"
A comparison: RCP, Kasama and the
mass revolutionary organization we need
The chart below is a work in progress. Comments are welcome.
| Key feature of revolutionary project | RCP | Kasama | The mass revolutionary organization we need | Comments by Ben | |
| 1 | Expose crimes of US imperialism (and bourgeois society in general) | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2 | Mobilize support for popular struggles in the U.S. and internationally | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 3 | Cultural news, discussion, criticism and debate | Yes/No | Yes | Yes | The RCP carries article of this kind. However there is no online discussion of any kind. |
| 4 | Building revolutionary news service that encourages mass participation | Yes/No | Not yet | Yes !! | The RCP has a news service but it is generally closed to articles and comments from people outside the RCP. |
| 5 | Developing open discussion and debate concerning the way forward | No | Yes (but secret forums used for key issues) | Yes !! | Kasama has private forums where key decisions are made. |
| 6 | Build alliances with "progressive" imperialist politicians | Yes (see below on WCW) | No, but could happen (WCW is popular with most Kasama posters) | Not like this | ● RCP's alliance with liberal imperialist politicians was known as World Can't Wait (see below for more on WCW). ● A genuinely revolutionary organization would eventually have cause to create alliances--but these alliances would be of genuine benefit to the working class rather than existing mainly as vehicles to promote reformist illusions. |
| 7 | Oppose the treacherous influence of social-democracy | No | No | Yes !! | ● Kasama allows discussion that opposes the influence of social-democracy, but the Kasama leadership tends to not understand the need for this. See, for example, this thread on WCW. ● A genuinely revolutionary organization would find itself in collision with the influence of social-democracy on a thousand fronts of struggle. |
| 8 | Lots of empty talk about "revolution", "socialism" and "communism" | Yes | Some | No | ● The amount of empty talk on Kasama is small compared to that of the RCP. However the gap between words (ie: about building a revolutionary movement and advancing the cause of communism) and deeds (ie: comparatively little attention to the most decisive tasks) remains the issue. |
| 9 | Building consciousness on all important theoretical issues | No | Not yet | Yes | |
| 10 | Pretending to build revolutionary organization | Yes | No | No | |
| 11 | Building a cult around a "great leader" | Yes | No | No | |
| 12 | Modest steps toward authentic mass revolutionary organization | No | Maybe | Yes |
Challenges for the Kasama community
How can we develop a strong focus (including discussion and debate) on:
- The kind of society we want to create
- What will this society be like?
- What principles will guide this society?
- How will we get from here to there?
- The kind of mass revolutionary organization we need
- What will this organization be like?
- What principles will guide this organization?
- How will we get from here to there?
- The dominant view within the left is that the only alternative to the existing capitalist system is the rule of a single party with the ability to suppress the voices of its opponents (ie: a police state) and a "command economy".
- And the dominant view of revolutionary organization is that of a so-called "democratic centralist" top-down organization.
Both of these views must be smashed up in order to clear the ground for genuine advancement and to take advantage of the emerging revolution in communications and the potential to use information war as a vehicle for the class struggle.
| Ben's work on the "crisis of theory" |
| The kind of society we need: ● Politics, Economics and the Mass Media .. when the working class runs the show ● Proletarism is anti-revisionist Marxism .. for the 21st century ● Workers' Rule: Is it Dead or Alive? ● The Future Transparent Workers' State ● Finding the Confidence to Build the Future ● The World for which We Fight |
| The revolutionary mass organization we need: ● What is "cargo cult-Leninism" ? .. (includes a brief illustrated explanation of cargo cults) ● How to Buld the Party of the Working Class ● A scenario for the overthrow of bourgeois rule ● A collection of polemics under the title: .. We Need Mass Democracy |
| ls Ben some kind of super smart guy?  Actually not. Some readers might think that only a really brainy person could stumble onto the solution to the crisis of theory. But that is not at all how it happened. Ben (see photo at right) was simply in the right place at the right time. The principles that Ben advocates will eventually be seen as totally obvious. |
I have written on these topics and have reached the following conclusions:
(1) The society we need will, above all, be run by the working class. Everyone will have the fundamental democratic rights of speech and organization and the working class will use these rights to organize mass resistance to defeat the incompetence, hypocrisy and corruption (of people or principles) that will inevitably emerge even within a workers' state. The principle of separation of speech and property will be used to restrict the ability of money and commercial interests (which will probably be around for decades) to amplify the voices of reactionaries. In other words, everyone will have the right to speak their views on the basis of voluntary labor (ie: such as leaflets or websites) --but the state will restrict (ie: regulate) the ability of the wealthy to hire armies of flacks to amplify (ie: make slick and broadcast widely) reactionary views. In these conditions many independent organizations would emerge and both publicly compete and cooperate with one another.
(2) The revolutionary mass organization we need will:
(a) be united around:
(i) a program of common work (such as support for popular
.... struggles and the development of a revolutionary news service)
(ii) a common goal (ie: the overthrow of bourgeois rule
.... and the rule of society by the working class)
(b) include political trends which publicly compete and cooperate
(c) be guided by mass democracy and characterized by political transparency
Writing as a somewhat isolated individual (even if with some experience in the revolutionary movement) it is unlikely that all of my ideas are correct. However, I have made a strong effort to focus on the key questions and present solid arguments. I would like to see some discussion of the principles which I advocate. As an individual, I may not be particularly brilliant, but I believe that, by virtue of being in the right place at the right time, I have stumbled onto principles that are far more important and deserving of attention that I am. My theoretical work (see table to the right) is is written for bright and focused 14 year old minds. It is relatively easy to read and avoids most of the jargon, dogma and obscurantism that is common in work on these topics.
| Possible next steps forward for Kasama Here are some of my suggestions for the next steps forward for Kasama: (1) Make it easy for everyone to understand and participate in developing the principles which will guide Kasama's future: (a) Create a graphical link (see illustration to the right with current and proposed links) for key threads related to discussion and debate on Kasama's future. (b) Add a category in the Threads forum (see screen shot below) for discussion of these decisive principles.  Above: The "threads" forum currently has six top categories. Ben has proposed the creation of a seventh category for discussion of the principles which must guide Kasama. (2) Mike and/or the Kasama leadership can make a commitment to permanently maintain open discussion and debate for the most important principles related to Kasama's development xxxx (3) We need community participation and feedback on issues related to moderation xxxx |  |
My disagreements with the Kasama leadership
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Moderation-related issues
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Moderation-related issues
First: Moderation on Kasama is mostly done by Mike Ely. And he generally does a very good job. I have moderated by own public discussion lists for some years now and I appreciate that effective moderation requires a lot of attention and can consume a fair amount of time. Mike wants to build discussion on Kasama and, in many ways, he knows far more about this than I do.
However: I am currently not allowed to post to the Kasama blog. The basic issue is that my posts have upset people in ways that Mike feels are unnecessary. I hope this issue can be eventually resolved.
xxx
BenSeattle |
Latest page update: made by BenSeattle
, Dec 14 2008, 12:43 AM EST
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